Maria

11/24/2024

Anya was my doula for the birth of my 1st child so I thought that I needed that extra support from an experienced person. That made my preparation much less stressful as well as for my husband. Anya met with us in person twice before the birth and gave very helpful suggestions, created a plan for the birth for different directions. I knew that I wanted a birth with as less medical interventions as possible and it aligned with Anya's experience as well.

My birth started however not as I hoped for - with water bag rupture without real contractions, so I knew that pitocin will make birth without epidural more challenging. Anya tried to help contractions to start in one hour which we were given at the hospital before stimulation with aromatherapy and massage. It felt very relaxing but wasn't enough time so I agreed to piticon. Anya offered different techniques for pain management and was there for me for the duration of the whole birthing process.

In several hours I decided that I want epidural after all and I was fine with that decision as I knew we tried all possible technique to manage the pain without medication. After epidural, it went smoothly and in an hour, active stage of labor began. Anya suggested to try different position to push not just on the back, and doctors allowed it and it was nice as vertical pushing is deemed to be more effective. When my baby was born, I was so happy and relieved and didn’t care about much else.

After the birth, Anya visited us once and gave helpful tips and suggestions about taking care of the baby. She showed me how to breastfeed the baby laying down and also helped us bathe the baby for the 1st time. 

I’m happy that Anya was there for our family and even though the birth went not as according to my preferred plan - it really something we couldn’t control - and I am happy with my birth experience as I felt supported through the whole time. I recommend Anya as a doula.

Julia

7/20/2024

I am grateful to Anna for her invaluable help during my home birth!

She helped me a lot, and provided a great care and understanding of my needs during labor. She had that amazing feeling of what I needed at that moment and was quick to give it to me. This was my second childbirth, and I couldn’t even imagine how important it was for a woman in labor to get such a care. This birth was strikingly different from my first one because this time I had Anna.

She was reminding me to breathe the right way and relax. She was feeding me with the food that I wanted and needed. She was continuously offering me something to drink which was also really important. She massaged my body and kept me cozy with a warm blanket.

It was also a fortunate that she knew how to use Rebozo to shake my body and help the baby to move forward. It turned out to be crucial in this birth, and I’m thankful that she knew how to do it.

Anna’s presence at our home was pleasing and easy. She interacted with me and my husband very harmoniously.

We thank Anna for all her help before, during and after the childbirth. We also appreciate her emotional support.

We are also thankful that she took her time to meet with us BEFORE the day of the labor so that we could discuss everything and define our goals. Her information support was also very helpful.

After this childbirth, having Anna there with me, I realized how important it was to have the doula present during labor.  And we are very glad that Anna shared with us such an important moment in our life, the birth of our second little human!